Up and down the country, sports students wait all year for the chance to play in a varsity match for their university. It is the prime opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and contribute to a University varsity win as a whole. But what is varsity all about? And why is it so important?
The concept known as ‘varsity’ was first established in the early 19th century when a boat race took place between the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Over time, the idea spread to different universities who decided they also wanted to compete in these rivalry matches for their sports. The matches will typically take place with neighbouring universities, for example:
- University of Leeds vs Leeds Beckett University.
- University of Nottingham vs Nottingham Trent University.
- University of Southampton vs University of Portsmouth.
Each year, Newcastle University take on Northumbria University to battle it out to win that varsity title. This year, a total of 79 games were carried out, with Newcastle winning a total of 47.5 of those games, deeming them varsity champions in 2025.
1) Tradition and legacy
The Newcastle vs Northumbria rivalry first began in 1994 with the introduction of the Stan Calvert Memorial Cup. This cup was to commemorate the life of Stan Calvert, who dedicated time to his work in sports administration and was Chairman of the Northern Sports Council.
In the last 30 years, the sporting rivalry has become stronger, as each year the competition grows.
There is an element of pride that comes with winning varsity, especially when a university is aiming to defend their title. Newcastle University have won for the last 4 years which makes the competition that much more important to students carrying on the legacy of the teams before them.
2) Student identity
University sports teams provide a familiar community whilst students are living away from home, with a group of people who share the same interests as them. It is important for sporting students to prove their worth to their team, and celebrate the progress they have made over the year. I spoke to second year student Maddie Glynn Jones about the importance of her lacrosse team, particularly when in her first year of university.
“Sport at university doesn’t involve just the sport itself, the society itself is really great and it’s important to do something like varsity to celebrate that”.
She told me about the importance of being in a community of like-minded people and how this had a big impact on her when she first arrived in Newcastle.
3) High profile opportunity
For many students, this will be a key moment of their sporting career, and may well be the first time that they have played in front of a large crowd. This crowd will bring recognition to the club as well as the players. For one day, there is a sense of unity across the different sports teams across the university, as they are all fighting to contribute to a varsity win.
At some universities, varsity can bring the opportunity for talent scouts to come and watch the players in the hopes of recruiting them. This is in addition to British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) which is played on Wednesdays, when different universities will play each other inside of a league.
Varsity will also give players the opportunity to be recognised for different awards provided by their university. For example, Newcastle University presents a sportsperson of the year award, amongst others, which can bring appreciation to a club, leading to more funding and recruitment.
Why is varsity important for the university?
A varsity win can be an advantageous step forward for promoting universities from a sporting perspective. Future students may take sporting achievements into account when choosing the university they are looking to attend. The first thing that can be marketed is whether or not a university has won their varsity. The sports page on the Newcastle University website promote themselves as a “Leading UK university for sports” and “Team Newcastle”, demonstrating a sense of community and success in BUCS and in Varsity. The event can act as a major contributor to funding and recruitment for different clubs throughout both universities.
In the weeks leading up to varsity, there is a sense of excitement and passion on campus, as posters go up, flyers handed out and temporary tattoos provided. It creates a feeling of community and togetherness which is not always present all year round. Newcastle University display banners with the different sports teams on, encouraging participation and spectating. Pride is high and no matter if students play sports or not, it is an opportunity to represent your university and provide support for those who are playing, and each match will typically have a higher turnout than the rest of the year from students, staff and coaches.
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